Michele Edwards

Contact Michele

Michele Edwards, a Partner with StoneTurn, has approximately 20 years of combined experience in fraud and compliance risk management and financial statement auditing. She specializes in assessing, implementing and remediating antifraud and compliance programs, fraud risk assessments, fraud and compliance training, fraud detection and forensic investigations.

Michele has assisted many Fortune 500 companies with building and assessing antifraud and compliance programs and controls. She has helped to assess and respond to their vulnerability to fraud by applying the “scheme and scenario” antifraud risk assessment framework, as well as implement controls, fraud auditing and fraud detection strategies.

Michele is the Chief of Staff and leads the Independent Compliance Monitor and Auditor team appointed by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) of a Fortune 10 automaker. She also serves as a risk assessment subject matter expert to the DOJ-appointed Independent Compliance and Ethics Monitor to a global investment bank. She previously led the StoneTurn team serving as forensic advisor to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration appointed Monitor of a Tier-One automotive supplier and led two work streams of a New York Department of Financial Services appointed Compliance Monitor of the largest non-bank mortgage servicer in the U.S.. In addition, Michele has led and assisted companies with corporate investigations and litigation matters.

Prior to joining StoneTurn, Michele spent four years with PRGX Global, Inc., where she developed and led the firm’s Fraud Risk Management Service practice, with a special focus on helping clients to detect fraud. Prior to PRGX, Michele spent 14 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”) in the Forensic Services, Fraud Risk & Controls, and Audit practices. While at PwC, she spent six years advising assurance and advisory clients and audit engagement teams on fraud risk management; helped to develop new firm and service methodology at the peak of public accounting firm professional scrutiny related to financial statement fraud scandals; and supervised complex financial investigations.

In addition, she spent eight years conducting financial statement audits, and advising clients on initial and secondary public offerings, acquisitions, purchase price negotiations and private placements.

Michele is a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in the state of Illinois).

share:

Education

B.S., Accounting, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Turn to Michele

At StoneTurn, our culture promotes collaboration and encourages us to focus not only on the overall success for our firm, but also on the success of our clients.

Q: StoneTurn is known for being collaborative. Describe for us how the firm is able to work so seamlessly with clients and as colleagues.

A:

StoneTurn recognizes the value of bringing together teams of experts with multi-faceted skill sets to best serve our clients’ needs. In the area of Corporate Monitorships, for example, one of the reasons StoneTurn has been successful is due to its ability to develop and maintain relationships and build a team to best serve clients. We are humble enough to recognize that we do not know everything and truly appreciate collaborating and partnering with other professionals—including those with hands-on corporate experience and relevant industry and subject matter expertise—to help solve our clients’ problems.

Q: Clients also give StoneTurn high marks for being extremely responsive. Can you tell us about a time when you saw this in action?

A:

We serve law firms, regulators and corporate clients who have demanding schedules and complex responsibilities. For example, we are often hired by corporate Audit Committees to conduct independent investigations when facing allegations or suspicions of fraud. Audit Committee members not only serve in that capacity, but also have senior management positions at other companies as “day-jobs.” We meet their needs by being responsive and flexible to help support their critical fiduciary role of overseeing forensic investigations and ensuring appropriate remedial measures are taken.

Q: Why is the culture at StoneTurn so important to you?

A:

A healthy culture is critical to any organization’s success. Through StoneTurn’s experience working on Corporate Monitorships, we have observed how deeply culture impacts employee behavior. At StoneTurn, our culture promotes collaboration and encourages us to focus not only on the overall success for our firm, but also on the success of our clients. As a result, we place their needs and the needs of our entire team above those of individuals.